Man of Steel
| running time = 143 min. | country = USA | language = English | budget = $225,000,000 | gross revenue = | preceded by = | followed by = Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice }} Man of Steel is an American action film that blends elements of science fiction and superhero fantasy. It is a reboot of the ''Superman'' film series that began in 1978 with Richard Donner's seminal classic Superman and continued all the way through 2006 with Bryan Singer's Superman Returns. The film was directed by Zack Snyder with a screenplay by David S. Goyer. The film was produced by Warner Bros. and released theatrically in the United States on June 14th, 2013. The movie was produced for both conventional theatrical viewing as well as in 3D and IMAX. The movie stars Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Kal-El, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Michael Shannon as General Zod, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent, Russell Crowe as Jor-El, Ayelet Zurer as Lara Lor-Van and Laurence Fishburne as Perry White. Man of Steel re-examines the origin of Superman, who is an alien named Kal-El - the last son of the dying planet Krypton, who is sent to Earth by his parents Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van as a desperate means of preserving Krypton's legacy. Unbeknownst to Kal-El, he carries within his body the genetic code of Krypton's entire heritage. He is discovered by two midwest farmers, Jonathan and Martha Kent, who rename the Kryptonian infant Clark. Through a series of flashbacks, the viewers sees snapshots of Clark's youth where he is struggling with the burden of his sudden burgeoning super-powers and the moral conflict as to whether or not he should use them for the benefit of humanity. The action heats up when the adult Clark learns that he is not the only one to survive Krypton's destruction. A cadre of militant Kryptonians, led by a warrior named Zod arrives on Earth with the intent of terraforming it, ultimately transforming it into a new Krypton. Clark Kent discovers the truth about his Kryptonian heritage via an artificial intelligence patterned in the likeness of Jor-El, and fights Zod and his cronies in the heart of the city of Metropolis. Plot The planet Krypton faces imminent destruction due to its unstable core, the result of years of exploiting Krypton's natural resources. The ruling council is deposed by the rebel military leader, General Zod, and his followers. Scientist Jor-El and his wife Lara launch their newborn son Kal-El on a spacecraft to Earth, infusing his cells with a genetic codex to preserve the Kryptonian race. After Zod murders Jor-El, he and his followers are captured and banished to the Phantom Zone. However, Krypton explodes some time afterwards, freeing them. The infant Kal-El is raised as the adoptive son of Jonathan and Martha Kent, who name him Clark. Clark's Kryptonian physiology affords him superhuman abilities on Earth, which initially cause him confusion and ostracizing, but he gradually learns to harness his powers to help others. Jonathan reveals to a teenage Clark that he is an alien and advises him not to use his powers publicly, fearing that society will reject him. After Jonathan's death, an adult Clark spends several years living a nomadic lifestyle, working different jobs under false names, while saving people in secret as well as struggling to cope with the loss of his adoptive father. He eventually infiltrates a scientific discovery of a Kryptonian scout spaceship in the Arctic. Clark enters the alien ship, and it allows him to communicate with the preserved consciousness of Jor-El in the form of a hologram. Lois Lane, a journalist from the Daily Planet who was sent to write a story on the discovery, sneaks inside the ship while following Clark and is rescued by him when she is injured. Lois's editor Perry White rejects her story of a "superhuman" rescuer, so she traces Clark back to Kansas with the intention of writing an exposé. After hearing his story, she decides not to reveal his secret. Zod and his crew seek out other colony worlds and eventually follow a Kryptonian distress signal sent from the ship Clark discovered on Earth. Zod demands that humans surrender Kal-El, whom he believes has the codex, in return for peace. Clark agrees, and the U.S. military hand him and Lois over to Zod's second-in-command, Faora. Zod reveals that he intends to use a terraforming "world engine" to transform Earth into a new Krypton, eradicating the human population in the process, and use the codex to repopulate the planet with genetically-engineered Kryptonians. After Clark and Lois escape Zod's ship, Clark defeats Faora, convincing the military that he is an ally. Zod deploys the world engine and initiates the process in Metropolis and over the Indian Ocean. Clark, now dubbed "Superman", stops the world engine in the Indian Ocean and also destroys the ship which carries the pivotal technology, the Genesis Chamber, to restore the Kryptonian race with the codex. The military use the spacecraft that brought Clark to Earth in an aerial strike on Zod's ship over Metropolis, enveloping Zod's crew in a black hole, completely thwarting Zod's plans. Only Zod remains, and he engages Superman in an aerial battle across Metropolis. When Zod attempts to murder civilians in revenge for his defeat, Superman is forced to kill him. Some time later, Superman continues to earn the U.S. government's trust, although evading their efforts to uncover his secret identity. To create an alias that gives him access to dangerous situations without arousing suspicion, Clark takes a job as a reporter at the Daily Planet. Wikipedia:Man of Steel (film) entry Cast Incomplete Production & Release * Production on Man of Steel began on August 1st, 2011. Principal photography commenced on September 21st, 2011 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Filming concluded on January 20th, 2012. * Man of Steel was released to coincide with the 75th Anniversary of Superman. Cast & Crew * Director Zack Snyder is no stranger to comics-to-film adaptations or the concept of high-octane action movies. He also directed Frank Miller's historical epic 300 as well as the remake of George Romero's Dawn of the Dead, the film adaptation of Alan Moore's Watchmen and the 2011 sci-fi/fantasy film Sucker Punch. Man of Steel is Snyder's sixth film. * Screenwriter David S. Goyer has worked his way through various dark fantasy and comic related media as well. In addition to scripting Man of Steel, he has also written the screenplays for the Batman relaunch series, as well as the supernatural action franchise Blade, which included three theatrically released feature films as well as a short-lived television spin-off series. A recurring theme throughout many of Goyer's projects is the absence or death of a father figure. Goyer's television works includes Sleepwalkers, Threshold and FlashForward, of which he was an executive producer on all three programs. * Producer Christopher Nolan is better known for directing the Batman reboot series which consists of Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. * British actor Henry Cavill, who landed the role of Superman, is best known for playing Charles Brandon on the historical drama series The Tudors. He also played the Greek hero Theseus in the 2011 film Immortals. * Producer Deborah Snyder is the wife of director Zack Snyder. Notes & Trivia * Man of Steel is intended as the first film in what will ultimately grow into a shared continuity of interlinking film projects, similar to what Marvel Studios had accomplished with their Marvel Cinematic Universe with films such as Iron Man, Incredible Hulk and Thor. * Man of Steel is the first Superman movie that does not include the name Superman in the title. * Man of Steel is the second Superman film to receive a PG-13 rating. The first was 2006's Superman Returns. * There are several trademark elements that are virtually ubiquitous to all Superman related media that does not appear in Man of Steel. The most obvious of which are the changes made to the Superman costume, which now boasts a dark navy blue unitard as opposed to the vibrant sky blue of the classic suit. There is also the absence of Superman's red Underoos, traditionally worn on the outside of his costume. Other classic elements of the Superman franchise that do not appear in this movie include Kryptonite, Lex Luthor, Jimmy Olsen, the Fortress of Solitude and the iconic spinning globe of the Daily Planet, which largely defined the Metropolis skyline (the building itself however, is featured in the film). * A Man of Steel Prequel one-shot comic book special was released in May, 2013. It was written by Geoff Johns, David S. Goyer, Zack Snyder, and Sterling Gates. Recommendations * Superman (1978) * Superman II (1980) * Superman III (1983) * Supergirl (1984) * Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) * Superman Returns (2006) See also External Links * * * Man of Steel at Wikipedia * * * * * References Gallery Promotional Man of Steel (2013).jpg Man of Steel (2013) 002.jpg Man of Steel (2013) 003.jpg Man of Steel (2013) 004.jpg Man of Steel (2013) 005.jpg Man of Steel (2013) 006.jpg Cast Henry Cavill.jpg Amy Adams.jpg Michael Shannon.jpg Diane Lane.jpg Russell Crowe.jpg Kevin Costner.jpg Ayelet Zurer.jpg Laurence Fishburne.jpg